Photos by Emily Waugh
Almost Monday brought its San Diego surf rock sound north to the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles last Thursday. Characterized by an edgy yet upbeat style, the trio confirmed itself as a rising voice in the indie pop space. Almost Monday is currently performing as the opening act of The Band CAMINO’s North American tour comprising 27 different cities. The group’s energy made it immediately apparent that the Hollywood show was their home stop along the tour.
Almost Monday is made up of vocalist Dawson Daughtery, guitarist Cole Clisby, and bassist Luke Fabry. The trio first came together in Ocean Beach in coastal San Diego. In 2018, Daughtery, Clisby, and Fabry joined together through a shared passion for music, and would sidewalk busk to develop their sound and cultivate an audience. Early performances included small backyard shows, beachside bar venues, and smaller festivals in the Southern California area. Their definitive sound is a product of this developmental time that allowed them to create a grounded sonic identity.
Following this growth period, the group self-released a few initial tracks online that quickly gained attention. From there, Almost Monday landed a deal with Hollywood Records and worked with Mark Needham to produce their debut EP don’t say you’re ordinary. The band utilized vibrant visuals to accompany their music, evolving their creative identity beyond surf pop and into more innovative territory. This shifted their sound to be more conducive to larger live performances, and their fan-favorite single “sun keeps on shining” became a major point of recognition for the band. To date, they have played major festivals like BottleRock, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. Despite the Hollywood Palladium’s smaller crowd size in comparison to these festivals, the energy absolutely matched those major performances during their show on Thursday.
Centered directly in front of the Palladium’s stage, a group of some of the most energetic fans I’ve ever witnessed (an impressive feat given the amount of shows I’ve attended) brought feverish excitement. There is an energy unique to fans of surf punk-rock music that brings out a rare level of excitement in a crowd.
The Palladium is such a large venue that you’d think the energy of the audience would be diluted by the space of the room, but Almost Monday’s set proved exactly the opposite. Energy seemed to radiate out of Daugherty’s microphone and spur chaotic movements in the crowd. Frequencies of enthusiasm compounded to create a buzz in the room even stronger than that coming from the massive speakers dangling from the ceiling.
Almost Monday’s set list began with four tracks from their 2024 debut album DIVE. They moved into a selection of fan-favorite singles from a range of years, including “cough drops,” “only wanna dance,” and “lost.” The band used transformative lighting effects to their advantage, flashing colors along to the rhythm of their music. Daugherty sported a pair of sunglasses throughout the duration of the set, adding to the air of summertime that could be felt throughout the night.
The band moved into “sunburn” from DIVE, “sun keeps on shining,” and “enjoy the ride.” These three selections revealed the diehard fans in the audience. Several fans in that devoted group in the center of the audience sang along to every line. To end their set, Almost Monday performed five more songs from DIVE, including “you look so good,” “she likes sports,” “tidal wave,” “jupiter,” and “life goes by.”
Almost Monday’s performance showcased a revitalized musical space that brings energy alongside acoustics. In an age where many rock and roll fans claim the genre has lost momentum, Almost Monday is living proof that rock is alive and well.
